Life stage of boarding at school and middle school student victimization in rural China

Figures & data

Table 1. Measurements and descriptive statistics.

Variable Name	N^a	Mean (%)		S. D.	Measurements
Victimization (overall)	2,728 [2,727]	1.777		2.226	Count measure (range: 0–9)
Violent Victimization	2,740 [2,739]		1.153	1.494	Count measure (range: 0–5)
Property Victimization	2,755 [2,755]		0.307	0.585	Count measure (range: 0–2)
Sexual Victimization	2,755 [2,755]		0.338	0.567	Count measure (range: 0–2)
Current Boarding Status	2,764 [2,764]		0.727	0.446	Binary variable (0 = no; 1 = yes)
Starting Stage of Boarding	2,777 [2,724]		1.151	0.780	Nominal variable (0 = never boarded 23%; 1 = boarding experience started in primary school 35%; 2 = boarding experience started in junior high school 42%)
Female	2,763 [2,763]		0.513	0.500	Binary variable (0 = male; 1 = female)
Parental Migration Status	2,777 [2,174]		1.048	1.226	Nominal variable (0 = both stay at home 49%; 1 = only father migrates 22%; 2 = only mother migrates 5%; 3 = both migrate 24%)
Co-residence with Grandparent(s)	2,765 [2,765]		0.544	0.498	Binary variable (0 = no; 1 = yes)
Sibship Size (including the respondent himself/herself)	2,777 [2,704]		2.246	0.800	Ordinal variable (1 = only child; 2 = 1 sibling; 3 = 2 siblings; 4 = 3 or more siblings)
Grade	2,777 [2,777]		7.960	0.810	Nominal variable (1 = Grade 40.4%; 7; 2 = Grade 8 32.7%; 3 = Grade 9 26.9%)
Local Hukou Status	2,737 [2,737]		0.947	0.225	Binary variable (0 = no; 1 = yes)
Relative Family SES	2,777 [2,704]		2.014	0.713	Ordinal variable (1 = lower; 2 = similar; 3 = higher)
Parental Highest Educational Attainment (years)	2,777 [2,593]		9.503	2.272	Interval-ratio variable (range: 1.963–19)
Commuting Time from Home to School (hours)	2,777 [2,754]		0.490	0.495	Interval-ratio variable (range: 0–9)
Attachment to Family	2,676 [2,676]		3.409	0.906	Interval-ratio variable (range: 1–5; the average of respective items; the range of each item: 1 = never to 5 = always)
Attachment to School	2,693 [2,693]		4.107	0.680	Interval-ratio variable (range: 1–5; the average of respective items; the range of each item: 1 = fully disagree to 5 = fully agree)
School-level Parental Highest Educational Attainment (years)	2,777 [2,777]		9.520	0.671	Interval-ratio variable (range: 8.103–10.616)
Merged School	2,777 [2,777]		0.424	0.494	Binary variable (0 = no; 1 = yes)

^aThe number outside the bracket is the sample size of variables after the imputation, whereas the number inside the bracket is the sample size of variables before the imputation.

Table 2. Group difference of mean of victimization by the two measures of boarding.

	Mean of Victimization (count measure)	N	Pair	Group Difference^a
Current Boarding Status
Not boarding	1.700	741	Not boarding vs. Currently boarding	0.107
Currently boarding	1.807	1979
Starting Stage of Boarding
Never boarded	1.677	657	Never boarded vs. In primary school	0.444***
In primary school	2.088	994	In primary school vs. In junior high school	0.563***
In junior high school	1.552	1077	In junior high school vs. Never boarded	0.120

* p < .1^{; **}p < .05^{; ***}p < .01.

^a Using the pairwise comparisons of means to estimate the group difference.

Table 3. The effect of boarding status on victimization estimated by multi-level negative binomial model.

	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)
	Full model	Female	Male	Interaction
Current Boarding Status (ref.: Not boarding)
Currently boarding	0.155**	0.034	0.219**	0.248***
	(0.073)	(0.106)	(0.095)	(0.088)
Female (ref.: Male)	−0.314***			−0.162*
	(0.048)			(0.094)
Current Boarding Status (ref.: Not boarding) $\times$ Female (ref.: Male)
Boarding $\times$ Female				−0.208*
				(0.109)
Parental Migration Status (ref.: Both stay at home)
Only father migrates	0.019	0.005	0.036	0.024
	(0.064)	(0.091)	(0.089)	(0.064)
Only mother migrates	0.018	0.003	0.021	0.010
	(0.108)	(0.160)	(0.146)	(0.108)
Both parents migrate	0.029	−0.099	0.126	0.026
	(0.069)	(0.096)	(0.098)	(0.069)
Co-residence with Grandparent(s)	−0.004	0.038	−0.066	−0.005
	(0.052)	(0.074)	(0.074)	(0.052)
Sibship Size	0.032	0.040	0.031	0.032
	(0.032)	(0.046)	(0.045)	(0.032)
Grade (ref.: Grade 7)
Grade 8	−0.068	−0.088	−0.051	−0.070
	(0.057)	(0.082)	(0.081)	(0.057)
Grade 9	−0.276***	−0.284***	−0.273***	−0.278***
	(0.061)	(0.086)	(0.087)	(0.061)
Local Hukou Status	0.083	0.132	0.021	0.085
	(0.110)	(0.157)	(0.155)	(0.110)
Relative Family SES	−0.129***	−0.181***	−0.085*	−0.131***
	(0.035)	(0.051)	(0.047)	(0.035)
Parental Highest Educational Attainment	−0.025**	−0.027	−0.024	−0.026**
	(0.011)	(0.018)	(0.015)	(0.011)
Commuting Time from Home to School	0.060	0.076	0.093	0.059
	(0.054)	(0.086)	(0.067)	(0.054)
School-level Parental Highest Educational Attainment	0.018	−0.022	0.019	0.019
	(0.099)	(0.121)	(0.097)	(0.099)
Merged School	0.135	0.137	0.162	0.132
	(0.134)	(0.163)	(0.129)	(0.134)
Constant	0.777	1.007	0.647	0.715
	(0.941)	(1.166)	(0.940)	(0.942)
N	2,672	1,382	1,290	2,672

Note: standard error is in parentheses. *p < .1; **p < .05; ***p < .01.

Table 4. The correlation between the starting stage of boarding and victimization estimated by multi-level negative binomial model.

	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)
	Full model	Female	Male	Interaction
Panel A:
Starting Stage of Boarding (ref.: Never boarded)
In primary school	0.210**	0.114	0.290***	0.295***
	(0.084)	(0.122)	(0.109)	(0.102)
In junior high school	0.119	−0.040	0.206*	0.245**
	(0.083)	(0.117)	(0.110)	(0.103)
Female (ref.: Male)	−0.309***			−0.137
	(0.049)			(0.101)
Starting Stage of Boarding (ref.: Never boarded) $\times$ Female (ref.: Male)
In primary school $\times$ Female				−0.189
				(0.129)
In junior high school $\times$ Female				−0.264**
				(0.128)
Panel B:
Starting Stage of Boarding (ref.: In primary school^a)
Never boarded	−0.210**	−0.114	−0.290***	−0.295***
	(0.084)	(0.122)	(0.109)	(0.102)
In junior high school	−0.091	−0.154	−0.084	−0.051
	(0.068)	(0.097)	(0.091)	(0.086)
Female (ref.: Male)	−0.309***			−0.326***
	(0.049)			(0.079)
Starting Stage of Boarding (ref.: In primary school) $\times$ Female (ref.: Male)
Never boarded $\times$ Female				0.189
				(0.129)
In junior high school $\times$ Female				−0.075
				(0.111)
Control Variables^b	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Constant	0.937	1.068	0.843	0.962
	(0.909)	(1.108)	(0.906)	(0.911)
N	2,680	1,386	1,294	2,680

Note: Standard error is in parentheses^{. *}p < .1; **p < .05; ***p < .01.

^a When we examined whether the starting stage of boarding matters, we intended to highlight the differential effect of boarding on victimization across two life stages (i.e., starting in primary schools vs. starting in junior high schools). Hence, we set “in primary school” rather than “never boarded” as the reference group.

^b Control variables are controlled in the model. They are Parental Migration Status, Co-residence with Grandparent(s), Sibship Size, Grade, Local Hukou Status, Relative Family SES, Parental Highest Educational Attainment, Commuting Time from Home to School, School-level Parental Highest Educational Attainment, and School Merged Status.

Table 5. Multi-level model estimating the mediating effect (Current boarding status as the key independent variable).

	(1)	(2)	(3)
	Full Model	Female	Male
Dependent Variable: Victimization
Current Boarding Status (ref.: Not boarding)
Currently boarding	0.182**	0.093	0.224**
	(0.074)	(0.108)	(0.094)
Attachment to Family	−0.187***	−0.215***	−0.176***
	(0.031)	(0.045)	(0.042)
Attachment to School	−0.369***	−0.392***	−0.358***
	(0.040)	(0.060)	(0.054)
Female (ref.: Male)	−0.260***
	(0.052)
Control Variables^a	Yes	Yes	Yes
School-level Effect^b	Yes	Yes	Yes
Constant	2.347***	2.808***	2.070***
	(0.728)	(0.946)	(0.780)
Mediating Effect
Dependent Variable: Attachment to Family
Current Boarding Status (ref.: Not boarding)
Currently boarding	0.046	0.026	0.066
	(0.044)	(0.061)	(0.061)
School-level Effect	Yes	Yes	Yes
Constant	3.372***	3.427***	3.320***
	(0.062)	(0.071)	(0.070)
Dependent Variable: Attachment to School
Current Boarding Status (ref.: Not boarding)
Currently boarding	−0.085***	−0.079*	−0.099**
	(0.033)	(0.043)	(0.048)
School-level Effect	Yes	Yes	Yes
Constant	4.168***	4.226***	4.114***
	(0.046)	(0.050)	(0.057)
N	2,754	1,410	1,334

Note: Standard error is in parentheses^{. *}p < .1^{; **}p < .05^{; ***}p < .01.

^a Control variables are controlled in the model. They are Parental Migration Status, Co-residence with Grandparent(s), Sibship Size, Grade, Local Hukou Status, Relative Family SES, Parental Highest Educational Attainment, Commuting Time from Home to School, School-level Parental Highest Educational Attainment, and School Merged Status.

^b School-level effect is controlled in the model.

Table 6. Multi-level model estimating the estimating the mediating effect (starting stage of boarding as the key independent variable).

	(1)	(2)	(3)
	Full Model	Female	Male
Dependent Variable: Victimization
Starting Stage of Boarding (ref.: Never boarded)
In primary school	0.261***	0.216*	0.282**
	(0.086)	(0.123)	(0.110)
In junior high school	0.165*	0.041	0.227**
	(0.084)	(0.118)	(0.108)
Attachment to Family	−0.190***	−0.218***	−0.178***
	(0.031)	(0.045)	(0.042)
Attachment to School	−0.363***	−0.393***	−0.350***
	(0.040)	(0.060)	(0.054)
Female (ref.: Male)	−0.256***
	(0.052)
Control Variables^a	Yes	Yes	Yes
School-level Effect^b	Yes	Yes	Yes
Constant	2.251***	2.681***	1.984**
	(0.718)	(0.917)	(0.784)
Mediating Effect
Dependent Variable: Attachment to Family
Starting Stage of Boarding (ref.: Never boarded)
In primary school	0.039	−0.014	0.085
	(0.051)	(0.070)	(0.072)
In junior high school	0.074	0.049	0.104
	(0.050)	(0.067)	(0.072)
School-level Effect	Yes	Yes	Yes
Constant	3.362***	3.427***	3.297***
	(0.062)	(0.072)	(0.072)
Dependent Variable: Attachment to School
Starting Stage of Boarding (ref.: Never boarded)
In primary school	−0.115***	−0.060	−0.175***
	(0.038)	(0.051)	(0.055)
In junior high school	−0.094**	−0.112**	−0.077
	(0.037)	(0.048)	(0.055)
School-level Effect	Yes	Yes	Yes
Constant	4.186***	4.235***	4.139***
	(0.046)	(0.052)	(0.056)
N	2,763	1,414	1,339

Note: Standard error is in parentheses^{. *}p < .1; **p < .05; ***p < .01.

^a Control variables are controlled in the model. They are Parental Migration Status, Co-residence with Grandparent(s), Sibship Size, Grade, Local Hukou Status, Relative Family SES, Parental Highest Educational Attainment, Commuting Time from Home to School, School-level Parental Highest Educational Attainment, and School Merged Status.

^b School-level effect is controlled in the model.

Table 7. The correlation between current boarding status and types of victimization estimated by multi-level negative binomial model.

	Violent				Property				Sexual
	Full	Female	Male	Interaction	Full	Female	Male	Interaction	Full	Female	Male	Interaction
Current Boarding Status (ref.: Not boarding)
Currently boarding	0.110	−0.006	0.163	0.192**	0.182	−0.014	0.339**	0.289**	0.247**	0.208	0.203	0.293**
	(0.079)	(0.116)	(0.102)	(0.095)	(0.119)	(0.181)	(0.151)	(0.140)	(0.117)	(0.180)	(0.144)	(0.138)
Female (ref.: Male)	−0.268***			−0.132	−0.471***			−0.258	−0.373***			−0.285*
	(0.053)			(0.102)	(0.082)			(0.162)	(0.079)			(0.160)
Current Boarding Status (ref.: Not boarding) $\times$ Female (ref.: Male)
Boarding $\times$ Female				−0.188				−0.278				−0.117
				(0.119)				(0.186)				(0.182)
Control Variables^a	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Constant	0.042	0.387	−0.085	−0.010	0.187	0.868	−0.475	0.109	−1.736	−1.753	−1.544	−1.759
	(1.039)	(1.284)	(0.987)	(1.041)	(1.182)	(1.619)	(1.335)	(1.183)	(1.228)	(1.725)	(1.274)	(1.224)
N	2,684	1,384	1,300	2,684	2,698	1,391	1,307	2,698	2,696	1,390	1,306	2,696

Note: Standard error is in parentheses. *p < .1; **p < 0.05; ***p < 0.01.

^a Control variables are controlled in the model. They are Parental Migration Status, Co-residence with Grandparent(s), Sibship Size, Grade, Local Hukou Status, Relative Family SES, Parental Highest Educational Attainment, Commuting Time from Home to School, School-level Parental Highest Educational Attainment, and School Merged Status.

Table 8. The correlation between the starting stage of boarding and types of victimization estimated by multi-level negative binomial model.

	Violent				Property			Sexual
	Full	Female	Male	Interaction	Full	Female	Male	Interaction	Full	Female	Male	Interaction
Starting Stage of Boarding (ref.: Never boarded)
In primary school	0.163*	0.101	0.227*	0.229**	0.327**	0.072	0.528***	0.483***	0.284**	0.176	0.311*	0.343**
	(0.091)	(0.133)	(0.117)	(0.110)	(0.136)	(0.205)	(0.174)	(0.162)	(0.134)	(0.204)	(0.167)	(0.160)
In junior high school	0.067	−0.082	0.123	0.176	0.216	−0.063	0.425**	0.353**	0.229*	0.115	0.246	0.332**
	(0.090)	(0.129)	(0.118)	(0.111)	(0.115)	(0.200)	(0.178)	(0.167)	(0.134)	(0.199)	(0.169)	(0.161)
Female (ref.: Male)	−0.264***			−0.120	−0.463***			−0.164	−0.370***			−0.218
	(0.053)			(0.110)	(0.082)			(0.177)	(0.079)			(0.172)
Starting Stage of Boarding (ref.: Never boarded) $\times$ Female (ref.: Male)
In primary school $\times$ Female				−0.151				−0.402*				−0.149
				(0.140)				(0.218)				(0.212)
In junior high school $\times$ Female				−0.232*				−0.341				−0.240
				(0.139)				(0.220)				(0.213)
Control Variables^a	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Constant	−0.011	0.250	−0.172	−0.056	−0.064	0.813	−0.832	−0.205	−1.736	−1.611	−1.685	−1.768
	(1.011)	(1.243)	(0.959)	(1.014)	(1.155)	(1.598)	(1.299)	(1.163)	(1.222)	(1.689)	(1.293)	(1.217)
N	2,692	1,388	1,304	2,692	2,706	1,395	1,311	2,706	2,704	1,394	1,310	2,704

Note: Standard error is in parentheses. *p < .1; **p < .05; ***p < .01.

^a Control variables are controlled in the model. They are Parental Migration Status, Co-residence with Grandparent(s), Sibship Size, Grade, Local Hukou Status, Relative Family SES, Parental Highest Educational Attainment, Commuting Time from Home to School, School-level Parental Highest Educational Attainment, and School Merged Status.